UNDER-FUELLING: THE SILENT EPIDEMIC

A Cycling Weekly survey has shown that under-fuellng in cycling has reached epidemic proportions. In a survey of 850 riders, one in five indicated that they are putting their health at risk by failing to properly replenish energy. Are you among them? The likelihood is higher than you might think.

My own experience of under-fuelling began almost a decade ago when my periods stopped in my early 20s. I asked a coach if I should be worried. “Not at all,” she responded. “When I was a pro, no one had periods.”

My GP was equally dismissive: “Not having periods is quite normal in exercising women,” she told me, wrongly. “It’ll all even out when you stop training.” I went back three times during my 20s. Each GP sent me for blood tests and ultrasounds and arrived at the same conclusion: everything was fine and my cycle would return when I decided to stop exercising so much. Speaking to fellow female amateur racers revealed that most of us were in a similar boat. Again and again, I was told I should